1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device which can be employed as a racing gate or pylon. More particularly, the present invention relates to a racing gate or pylon which is actuated by the kite string or kite strings of a horizontally moving kite. The present invention also includes an adapter which can be added to the main vertical post of the racing gate to convert the same into a quick draw device.
2. The Prior Art
The sport of racing kites is becoming increasingly popular. There is one form of kite, sometimes referred to as a delta-wing kite, which is mounted on the end of a pair of kite lines, as opposed to a single kite line for the more conventional type of kite. When the delta kite is in the air, the two lines will extend downwardly to the ground where they are held, separately, in the hands of the operator. Without discussing the theory under which these double line kites operate, a skilled operator, by controlling the lines individually, can make these kites perform feats which are not normally possible with a conventional single line kite. It is possible, for example, with these delta-wing kites, after they have been launched in the air, to move these kites in a horizontal direction, at a great rate of speed where the kite is moving, as it were, on a knife edge, such that the tips of the kite wings form a line which is perpendicular to the ground.
In racing these delta-wing kites horizontally, it has become a practice of late to run these kites competitively through different horizontal and vertical patterns and to record the time required for each kite to traverse a given course. Thus, it can be said that there is a sport of kite racing.
At the present time the method of "timing" a kite over a predetermined course is by a stopwatch and visual observation (estimation) as to when the kite begins and finishes the course.
As far as the present inventor is aware, there are no gates which can be deflected by the movement of the kite which would permit an accurate timing of the movement of the kite over a given course along which such gates might be located.
The present invention also provides, in addition to the timing of the kite racing, devices which will visually indicate actuation of the gate by the kite string both for the initial actuation and for intermediate actuations of the gate up to, and including, the final actuation.
Finally, the present invention includes an adapter to be attached to the main post of the racing gate which will permit the use of the overall device as a quick draw system similar to a shooting gallery. As far as the present inventor is concerned, there are no devices or systems similar to the present quick draw shooting gallery.
Preliminary searches were conducted on the invention disclosed herein, and the following listed patents were uncovered in the searches:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor Issue Date ______________________________________ 380,899 Jones April 10, 1888 812,400 Bremer February 13, 1906 1,210,512 Maurer January 2, 1917 1,581,068 Knopf April 13, 1926 1,824,811 Gade September 29, 1931 2,095,413 Harrison October 12, 1937 2,491,176 Hammond December 13, 1949 2,561,733 Foyst July 24, 1951 2,894,751 Simjian July 14, 1959 2,905,469 Taylor September 22, 1959 2,957,693 Ross October 25, 1960 2,967,712 Breitenfeldt January 10, 1961 3,005,634 Goette October 24, 1961 3,008,712 Konopka November 14, 1961 3,054,614 Dean September 13, 1962 3,057,622 Giannone October 9, 1962 3,097,848 Massa July 16, 1963 3,277,706 Godet October 11, 1966 3,338,536 Hull et al August 29, 1967 3,390,519 Cooper July 1, 1968 3,398,957 King August 27, 1968 3,430,581 Truesdell et al March 4, 1969 3,558,132 Melvin January 26, 1971 3,712,615 Staats et al January 23, 1973 3,722,124 Nathanson et al March 27, 1973 4,454,757 Weinstein et al June 19, 1984 4,614,345 Doughty September 30, 1986 4,864,854 vanLeemput September 12, 1989 ______________________________________